


Golden Pathway

by boneswrites



Series: Pathway [1]
Category: Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Fluff, Grumpy Bones, M/M, Roommates, Starfleet Academy, Sunshine Jim, bickering like an old married couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8046058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneswrites/pseuds/boneswrites
Summary: Jim finds himself sharing a room with a ghost counterpart. Enter: Leonard McCoy to the rescue. Or the story of how Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy end up sharing a dorm at the Academy and how Leonard saves Jim from the unimaginable struggle of sharing a room with someone who practically doesn’t exist but is still there. And Jim Kirk’s energy is fuelled by people around him. Ghost-rommies don't really work for him.





	Golden Pathway

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this piece in one sitting aka three hours ago. It's been an idea lurking around in my mind and it was good actually putting it down. I'm happy with how it turns out and I am completely convinced this is how Jim and Leonard end up sharing a dorm. I hope you enjoy and feedback is always appreciated! (P.S.: I might write a sequel to this.)

It wasn’t working out. It just simply wasn’t working out and Jim really didn’t want to get kicked out of the Academy for maybe pushing his roommate out the window. He was just starting to think Starfleet wasn’t all that bad.

Rooming Service really should run some compatibility tests with potential roommates because otherwise, well, shit like this would happen. He doesn’t have the first clue how he ended up sharing a room with Brian. Okay, think about everything you know about Jim Kirk, outgoing, adventurous, some people might go the entire way and say a huge flirt, he breaks a rule here or there and so on. Now, think about everything opposite to those traits. Yeah, that would be a pretty decent description of Brian.

Besides, Jim thought they were roomed according to their track. And the obvious presence of a pretty-clear-not-command-track cadet sharing a room with Jim proves him wrong. He doesn’t know what the other guy even studies and they’ve been in this tiny hellhole for almost three weeks.

Yeah, Jim definitely can’t handle it. Maybe if he goes to Pike about it…

*****

“No, Jim, absolutely not,” Pike shakes his head, leaning back on his large leather desk chair behind a broad table.

“Sir, I—”

“Aside from the fact I have little influence on who you share a room with and it being very low on the long list of things I care about, there’s no way to change it without word getting out. Can you imagine what a nightmare that would be?”

“Well, we don’t have to say it happened…not in those words, per se,” Jim tries.

“Son, are you trying to use the connection between us to get special treatment?” Pike raises an eyebrow.

“I’m not asking for special treatment, Captain. I’m just…we don’t get along. We have nothing in common. He stares at me like I’m going to eat him.”

“Your reputation precedes you, kid.”

“Three weeks in and I’ve already got a reputation,” Jim sighs, falling into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“Oh no, Jim, you’ve had a reputation before you even joined Starfleet.”

“And I don’t know how to deal with that. I mean, shouldn’t they like…have some kind of roommate matching test or whatever? Even a survey? So you know, people who actually have something to talk about live together. Or maybe you ought to like the idea of having a murder or four throughout the year. And they’re gonna be in self-defense,” Jim shrugs.

Pike chuckles. “Talk to him, make him feel more comfortable around you and you’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think so,” Jim shakes his head. “I don’t even know where to begin, if I could, that is.”

“See Jim? Three weeks in and you’re already stepping outside of your comfort zone.”

“My comfort zone? Cap, my comfort zone is practically non-existent right now. I always thought the Academy roomed based on track.”

“It was like that before but it seemed to have created more problems.”

“Problems? Like, I don’t know, socializing?”

“No, precisely the opposite. Not socializing, or maybe a better way to put it is over-socializing within one’s own track. Cadets only hung out with their own kind, never got exposure to other tracks, other areas of knowledge, other kinds of people, new ways of thinking and it only created a rigid and stale community.”

Jim took a few moments to process that, nodding slowly. “Right, and the Federation is all about the collective society. I remember from the orientation.”

“I’m glad you do. And aboard a starship—”

“Everyone has to get along and hold hands and play family, got it.”

Pike cocks his head to the side.

“With all due respect, sir. I don’t even know what he studies.”

“Well, how about your start there and see how it goes?” Pike suggests.

Jim winces and he could already imagine Brian’s intense glare boring hot holes into his skull. “If one of us ends up going out the window, I’m holding you responsible.”

*****

Jim groans internally when he enters his code and walks in to find Brian sitting on the edge of his bed, eyes glued to his PADD. Taking a deep breath, Jim crosses the room and sits down on his own bed, kicking off his shoes.

“So Brian,” Jim starts.

The kid startles, clearing not expecting Jim to speak, let alone to him.

“We’ve been in this room for what, three weeks now and we haven’t said more than two words to each other,” Jim continues, pretending not to have noticed the shudder from the other person. It would do no good mentioning it.

Brian shrugs, his eyes not moving from the screen.

“Listen man, I know we aren’t tripping on words cause of the amount of stuff we have in common and want to share, okay? But I’m going a little crazy here. The silence is too much.”

Brian says nothing.

“Okay, how about this, you clearly know a lot about me and I know literally nothing about you. I don’t even know what you’re studying. Do you wanna tell me a little bit about yourself or something?” Jim prompts.

Brian’s face draining of color is all the response Jim gets.

After what seems like an eternity, Jim learns that Brian is on the Science track, specializing in agriculture, botany and ecology. He’d think it was impressive, except that is about everything he gets out of the kid before Brian goes to sleep. At nine o’clock at night. Yeah, he’s gotta get out of there and fast before he loses his remaining functioning brain cells.

*****

Jim walks into the mess hall a couple days later, the grand space crowded with students in identical red uniform, carrying trays filled with food, finding their friends to sit down and eat with. Jim scans the room and spots the one person he’s been looking for all around campus. He hurries over to the empty table.

“I’ve been looking all over for you, man. You sure know how to stay low.”

Leonard looks up from his PADD, and recognition sparks across his eyes a few seconds later. Those damn blue eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Jim asks.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Leonard huffs.

“Not eating in the mess,” Jim takes a bit out of the apple in his hand.

“Oh and are you and your apple the food police?”

Chewing quickly, Jim pulls out the chair in front of him and sits down, facing the grumpy man.

“Easy kid, you’re going to choke,” Leonard observes.

Jim swallows, waving away the comment. “So where have you been?” He asks again.

Leonard sighs. “I work shifts at the clinic aside from all the damn studying I have to do. You know not all of us have the luxury of running around and…what is it that you do exactly?” Leonard narrows his eyes at Jim.

Jim chuckles, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. You like me.”

“And how exactly did you stumble onto that?” Leonard’s eyebrows travel up his forehead.

“Well for one you seem like the kind of guy who speaks his mind and you didn’t say you don’t like me so it only means you do like me. And you shared your drink with me. And we’re having a conversation and you didn’t tell me to fuck off,” Jim smiles.

“I shared my drink with you because I was drunk,” Leonard corrects.

“Tomato-tomahto. I’m really glad you didn’t throw up on me, though. At one point it looked like you were going to deliver.”

“Yeah well it wouldn’t have made a difference with your bloodied shirt and bruised face,” Leonard shoots back. “And I don’t walk around telling people if I like them or not, that would be stalking and creepy and I stay away from people cause people suck.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth, Bones.”

“Don’t call me that and no I didn’t, you feed off the non-existent party that’s constantly happening around you,” Leonard says, going back to the file on his PADD.

Jim pretends to pout, clutching the red fabric right above his heart. “You hurt my feelings, man.”

“Good,” Leonard grumbles.

“I think I already know the answer to my next question but here goes, how are you doing with your roommate? Getting along as much as you can get along with another human being?”

“Wouldn’t know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You sleep at the clinic or something?”

“No you idiot, I wouldn’t know because I don’t have one,” Leonard replies with a great amount of annoyance in his voice.

Jim’s eyes go wide. “Wait, you don’t have one? But how?”

Leonard regrets letting the cat out of the bag seeing the mere excitement radiating off Jim’s face. “Apparently I scared them all away. Rooming Service were in a constant headache because of me so they gave me a dorm for myself.”

“You scared them away? Bones, it’s only been three weeks.”

Leonard shrugs. “They say I’m intimidating.”

“Oh do they?” Jim teases.

“What?”

“You aren’t that intimidating. I mean yeah you’re broad and muscular and that scowl on your face is going to kill you while you’re still young but all that is just an appearance, I think.”

“Don’t go all shrink on me, I hate it when people do that.”

“It’s fine, because I’ve got an appearance too.” A moment later, Jim chuckles.

“What’s so damn funny?”

“This is what, the third time I talk with you aside from that wonderful shuttle conversation we had? Yeah and we’ve got more in common than I do with my roommate who I’ve been living with for three weeks. This is the longest conversation I’ve had since I got here,” Jim sighs.

“Where are you going with this, Jim?” Leonard switches off his PADD and gives Jim his full attention.

“Just hear me out, okay? We can stand each other, and I know you learn more about someone when you live with them—”

“ _Live with them_? Hold up kid, no. Don’t even continue that thought.”

“— _but_ at least we can carry out a conversation without bashing each other’s heads in.”

“Conversing with someone is not the same as living with them. And if you continue, God help me I will bash your damn head in,” Leonard warns.

“You can save me, Bones.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m an old man and I actually work here, and I study and I’m grumpy and I never open the blinds. I don’t even know what view I have.”

“Okay first off you’re not that old, and that’s fine, I won’t be in your way I promise. I just need someone who won’t stare at me like I’m about to fucking attack them.”

“He stares at you?”

“He trembles when I talk to him, too. I am many things but I’m not intimidating At least not when I want to be.”

“Have you tried, I don’t know, not being scary?”

“I’m not scary. And I did. After two hours the only thing I got out of him is his track and specialization. I’ll be on my deathbed before he tells me how many siblings he has and what their names are. I’m gonna die young because of this, Bones. Imagine your life without me…it would be terrible,” Jim shakes his head.

“No, my life without you would be much quieter and peaceful,” Leonard retorts.

“Don’t be such a downer, Bones. Cheer up every once in a while, it might even keep you young.”

“Lets say for the sake of, the sake of whatever, I agree. How are you going to make the move? You can’t just go online and change your assigned dorm.”

“Can’t I?” Jim smirks.

Leonard catches on. “Oh hell no. And if you get caught?”

“Who says I’m gonna get caught?”

“Jim, this is serious.”

“This situation is serious,” Jim whispers loudly.

“Don’t you think you’re blowing it a little bit out of proportion?”

“No, I’m really not. So come on, help me out. I’m neat and I stick to my space,” Jim pledges.

Leonard sighs, running it through his head. His comm chirps before he can answer Jim. “I gotta get to the clinic.”

“Just give me your room number and I’ll do all the work.”

“I’ll think about it,” Leonard says, getting to his feet.

“I like the clean shave look on you, Bones,” Jim calls out after the doctor as he walks away.

Leonard doesn’t turn around but waves his hand in the air in response.

Jim’s eyes keep trailing Leonard as he maneuvers himself through the sea of people, disappearing beyond the doors of the mess.

Leonard didn’t really need to think about it, he knew he wanted Jim to room with him. He did, however, like the idea of toying a little with the kid. He’s been feeling alienated and depressed since the moment he sobered up from that first shuttle ride and talking with Jim sent warmth running through his veins. He is a long way from home, but with Jim around, he feels just a little bit closer to it.

Leonard sends Jim his room number later that night.

*****

Leonard doesn’t see or hear from Jim for an entire week. He hasn’t respond to Leonard’s message, which leaves the doctor more than a little confused. He thinks he’s more revealed if he’s being completely honest, maybe Jim had come to his right mind and finally realized that he very much doesn’t want to be room with an old, broken irritable bastard. It hurt Leonard’s heart a bit, but he’s satisfied deep down. Jim’s a bright kid and Leonard wouldn’t want to drag him down, no matter how much he wanted him there. Not that he’ll ever admit it, but there was a fraction of excitement surging through his body at the thought of sharing his living space with Jim. Oh well, maybe he’ll see him around from time to time. That ought to count for something, would probably keep Leonard from dropping out or drinking himself into an early grave.

But Leonard is proven wrong when his computer chimes, alerting him to Jim’s presence outside the door. He had just come off a six hour shift at the clinic and wasn’t in the mood to be messed around with.

He walks over to the door, sliding it open and faces a very smiley and energetic Jim. The kid’s carrying a nearly empty box and has one bag hanging on his shoulder.

“You gonna let me in or what, Bones?”

Leonard frowns but steps aside, giving Jim just enough space to walk into their now apparently shared dorm.

“I thought you bailed on the idea,” Leonard leans against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh no, are you breaking up with me?” Jim’s drops his bag and box on the bed on the right, the one closest to the window and furthest from the door, seeing that Leonard was clearly occupying the bed on the left.

“Breaking what up?”

“Good,” Jim chuckles.

“I’m gonna pretend I understand what just happened.”

“You got a new roomie, Bones!” Jim exclaims with happiness. “And I can finally breathe.”

“Oh the joy,” Leonard rolls his eyes.

“At least wait two seconds before busting my balls, man. I sense that’s gonna be a habit of yours.”

“The reason I’ll wake up every morning,” Leonard walks over to his bed and falls backwards on the mattress.

“Aw, Bones, I didn’t know I mean so much to you,” Jim teases.

“Shut up, I just got off a six hour shift at the clinic the last thing I need is your loud buzzing in my ears,” Leonard closes his eyes. He's suddenly aware he doesn't entirely mind that ridiculous nickname.

“Aren’t you a surgeon? Why are they wasting you at the clinic while you can actually be working at the hospital doing the important shit?” Jim asks seriously.

“I wondered the same, kid. But apparently I need to God knows how many hours of supervised work before I can get transferred to Starfleet Medical and damn to hell all the goddamn hours I spent in an OR before I joined this hellhole. So nursing hangovers and giving flu shots is where I’m most useful it seems.”

“You’re pretty passionate about it, I can tell,” Jim chuckles.

“Feel free to take it up with the administration though,” Leonard adds.

“Oh I will,” Jim nods.

Leonard leans up, supporting his body on his elbows and looks at Jim. “You really managed to do it, huh?”

“Yup, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be but I got around it. Needed to be very careful cause they added those super tricky firewalls to the systems and stuff.”

“And if they find out?”

“They won’t, I didn’t leave a trace. Besides, I think the Academy has much bigger problems than who the fuck Jim Kirk shares a room with.”

“Glad you speak so highly of me,” Leonard rolls his eyes and plops again backwards.

“You’re my savior, Bones. My hero, my knight in shinning armor.”

“And you’re already a pain in my ass,” Leonard sighs.

Leonard learns pretty quickly, say twenty minutes into Jim’s arrival, that the younger man is neither neat nor does he stick to his own space. But he can’t find it in himself to give a damn because hell, the kid actually puts a smile on his face.


End file.
